According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for apparel are 445.94% higher in 2025 versus 1930 (a $55,053,904,974.20 difference in value).
Between 1930 and 2025: Apparel experienced an average inflation rate of 1.80% per year. In other words, apparel costing $12,345,678,900 in the year 1930 would cost $67,399,583,874.20 in 2025 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.16% during this same period, inflation for apparel was lower.
In the year 1930: Pricing changed by -2.43%, which is significantly below the average yearly change for apparel during the 1930-2025 time period. Compared to inflation for all items in 1930 (-2.65%), inflation for apparel was higher.
Below are calculations of equivalent buying power for Apparel, over time, for $12,345,678,900 beginning in 1930. Each of the amounts below is equivalent in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | USD Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | $12,345,678,900.00 | -2.43% |
| 1931 | $11,080,332,309.14 | -10.25% |
| 1932 | $9,849,184,274.79 | -11.11% |
| 1933 | $9,780,787,161.77 | -0.69% |
| 1934 | $10,601,552,518.01 | 8.39% |
| 1935 | $10,669,949,631.02 | 0.65% |
| 1936 | $10,789,644,578.81 | 1.12% |
| 1937 | $11,357,340,616.87 | 5.26% |
| 1938 | $11,213,706,679.53 | -1.26% |
| 1939 | $11,090,591,876.09 | -1.10% |
| 1940 | $11,190,256,240.78 | 0.90% |
| 1941 | $11,703,798,300.89 | 4.59% |
| 1942 | $13,696,521,882.13 | 17.03% |
| 1943 | $14,288,419,975.57 | 4.32% |
| 1944 | $15,290,700,747.12 | 7.01% |
| 1945 | $16,079,898,205.04 | 5.16% |
| 1946 | $17,642,509,171.71 | 9.72% |
| 1947 | $20,448,106,134.60 | 15.90% |
| 1948 | $21,805,525,762.22 | 6.64% |
| 1949 | $20,945,300,533.09 | -3.94% |
| 1950 | $20,665,135,435.53 | -1.34% |
| 1951 | $22,531,587,423.50 | 9.03% |
| 1952 | $22,290,882,198.84 | -1.07% |
| 1953 | $22,144,880,669.12 | -0.65% |
| 1954 | $22,069,906,910.62 | -0.34% |
| 1955 | $21,998,879,139.41 | -0.32% |
| 1956 | $22,440,829,715.84 | 2.01% |
| 1957 | $22,827,536,470.22 | 1.72% |
| 1958 | $22,914,348,190.59 | 0.38% |
| 1959 | $23,095,863,605.91 | 0.79% |
| 1960 | $23,443,110,487.40 | 1.50% |
| 1961 | $23,628,571,890.01 | 0.79% |
| 1962 | $23,758,789,470.56 | 0.55% |
| 1963 | $24,050,792,529.99 | 1.23% |
| 1964 | $24,255,983,869.05 | 0.85% |
| 1965 | $24,488,797,119.13 | 0.96% |
| 1966 | $25,143,831,009.21 | 2.67% |
| 1967 | $26,169,787,704.50 | 4.08% |
| 1968 | $27,566,667,205.01 | 5.34% |
| 1969 | $29,152,954,095.42 | 5.75% |
| 1970 | $30,356,480,218.74 | 4.13% |
| 1971 | $31,339,031,053.85 | 3.24% |
| 1972 | $31,986,172,969.34 | 2.06% |
| 1973 | $33,158,131,194.34 | 3.66% |
| 1974 | $35,616,481,275.75 | 7.41% |
| 1975 | $37,202,768,166.16 | 4.45% |
| 1976 | $38,595,701,679.38 | 3.74% |
| 1977 | $40,324,044,112.22 | 4.48% |
| 1978 | $41,740,653,549.18 | 3.51% |
| 1979 | $43,567,645,664.26 | 4.38% |
| 1980 | $46,649,461,737.42 | 7.07% |
| 1981 | $48,874,998,568.74 | 4.77% |
| 1982 | $50,157,444,437.85 | 2.62% |
| 1983 | $51,396,484,446.78 | 2.47% |
| 1984 | $52,343,521,396.28 | 1.84% |
| 1985 | $53,874,564,464.64 | 2.92% |
| 1986 | $54,332,298,990.23 | 0.85% |
| 1987 | $56,723,567,287.72 | 4.40% |
| 1988 | $59,185,863,356.41 | 4.34% |
| 1989 | $60,831,340,056.17 | 2.78% |
| 1990 | $63,652,720,968.22 | 4.64% |
| 1991 | $66,024,259,329.26 | 3.73% |
| 1992 | $67,650,006,092.56 | 2.46% |
| 1993 | $68,565,475,143.75 | 1.35% |
| 1994 | $68,431,311,575.90 | -0.20% |
| 1995 | $67,693,411,952.75 | -1.08% |
| 1996 | $67,559,248,384.90 | -0.20% |
| 1997 | $68,151,146,478.34 | 0.88% |
| 1998 | $68,237,958,198.71 | 0.13% |
| 1999 | $67,350,111,058.56 | -1.30% |
| 2000 | $66,470,155,892.98 | -1.31% |
| 2001 | $65,286,359,706.10 | -1.78% |
| 2002 | $63,621,153,069.90 | -2.55% |
| 2003 | $62,007,244,268.46 | -2.54% |
| 2004 | $61,778,377,005.67 | -0.37% |
| 2005 | $61,320,642,480.08 | -0.74% |
| 2006 | $61,277,236,619.89 | -0.07% |
| 2007 | $61,043,515,792.73 | -0.38% |
| 2008 | $60,996,676,923.60 | -0.08% |
| 2009 | $61,597,492,948.31 | 0.98% |
| 2010 | $61,302,490,938.54 | -0.48% |
| 2011 | $62,640,141,169.84 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | $64,771,013,766.09 | 3.40% |
| 2013 | $65,359,242,091.34 | 0.91% |
| 2014 | $65,412,039,401.28 | 0.08% |
| 2015 | $64,585,276,144.37 | -1.26% |
| 2016 | $64,658,513,668.46 | 0.11% |
| 2017 | $64,436,236,204.44 | -0.34% |
| 2018 | $64,457,978,594.40 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | $63,635,832,142.62 | -1.28% |
| 2020 | $60,571,812,472.13 | -4.81% |
| 2021 | $62,066,631,377.17 | 2.47% |
| 2022 | $65,189,683,017.51 | 5.03% |
| 2023 | $66,984,041,817.70 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | $67,447,774,243.97 | 0.69% |
| 2025 | $67,399,583,874.20 | -0.07%* |
* Not final. See inflation summary for latest details.
** Extended periods of 0% inflation usually indicate incomplete underlying data. This can manifest as a sharp increase in inflation later on.
Raw Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for Apparel:
| Year | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| CPI | 14.900 | 15.000 | 15.450 | 17.350 | 21.200 | 29.550 | 37.733 | 42.800 | 31.625 | 26.860 | 27.100 | 26.760 | 26.300 | 25.833 | 25.267 | 24.967 | 24.667 | 24.067 | 21.600 | 19.200 | 19.067 | 20.667 | 20.800 | 21.033 | 22.140 | 21.860 | 21.620 | 21.814 | 22.815 | 26.700 | 27.854 | 29.808 | 31.346 | 34.392 | 39.862 | 42.508 | 40.831 | 40.285 | 43.923 | 43.454 | 43.169 | 43.023 | 42.885 | 43.746 | 44.500 | 44.669 | 45.023 | 45.700 | 46.062 | 46.315 | 46.885 | 47.285 | 47.738 | 49.015 | 51.015 | 53.738 | 56.831 | 59.177 | 61.092 | 62.354 | 64.638 | 69.431 | 72.523 | 75.238 | 78.608 | 81.369 | 84.931 | 90.938 | 95.277 | 97.777 | 100.192 | 102.038 | 105.023 | 105.915 | 110.577 | 115.377 | 118.585 | 124.085 | 128.708 | 131.877 | 133.662 | 133.400 | 131.962 | 131.700 | 132.854 | 133.023 | 131.292 | 129.577 | 127.269 | 124.023 | 120.877 | 120.431 | 119.538 | 119.454 | 118.998 | 118.907 | 120.078 | 119.503 | 122.111 | 126.265 | 127.411 | 127.514 | 125.903 | 126.045 | 125.612 | 125.654 | 124.052 | 118.079 | 120.993 | 127.081 | 130.579 | 131.483 | 131.389 |